by Maria Romanenko
T
ime goes by so…quickly! And the moment comes when with a diploma in your pocket (and in some cases with even two) you say a long awaited: “Bye university, hello world!”. At this point the next chapter in many lives appears to look like a cozy office table with a coffee mug on a coaster that was brought by some colleague from his last vacation on Mallorca, a boss, always arriving late and being very annoyed in case he is not the last to arrive and… 24 vacation days. Just 24. A brain of an EYPer immediately transforms into a calculator: 24 days = 2 International sessions (10 days each) + 1 smaller session (4 days). And this is per year! But, no panic please – there are still millions of opportunities to stay involved in EYP or simply apply the skills obtained in your future career. First of all, make sure you have a profile on the EYP – International portal (www.alumni.eypej.org). With this easy step you will be informed on all ongoing sessions and projects held by the international network of EYP. Additionally, the portal is an amazing tool to interact with your EYP-mates. Secondly, you can still participate in the activities of your National Committee – EYP – Ukraine. For the information relevant to ex-members sign on the EYP-Ukraine alumni mailing list (eyp-ukraine-alumni@googlegroups.com) or if you are still planning to devote much of your time and energy – remain on the leadership or members list. EYP – Ukraine is very active and always welcomes new ideas, good piece of advice and any kind of contribution. And the last - always mention your EYP experience in your CV. As a potential event/project manager, you can fascinate HR with storied on last-minute problems solutions during one of the sessions; as a potential PR manager you can include links on some session’s media coverage you managed to achieve; in all cases you can demonstrate outstanding skills to work in a multicultural team. I have no idea if there is life after death, but there is a bright and adventurous life after EYP – this is an undeniable fact!
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